


the Domestic Life of Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham

by Manwameldiel



Category: Hannibal (TV), Hannigraham - Fandom
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Hannibal is Not a Cannibal, M/M, Mostly Fluff, sometimes a bit of angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-07
Updated: 2017-04-20
Packaged: 2018-05-18 19:48:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5941006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Manwameldiel/pseuds/Manwameldiel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Very small one shots of the domestic life of Hannibal and Will (like it says in the title)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Breakfast for Hannibal

**Author's Note:**

> So let's say Hannibal isn't a cannibalistic psychopath, and he and Will live quite a normal life as a couple where Hannibal doesn't occasionally almost kill Will. This is how it would go(according to my head).

Hannibal would always wake up earlier than Will every morning to make him breakfast, sometimes lunch, depends on the day. Hannibal always makes sure Will's got enough to eat, always.   
One time, Will wanted to do the same for Hannibal, so he found out when Hannibal woke up every morning and Will woke up half an hour before that.  
Eggs and sausages, that's what he cooked for Hannibal, also what had been the first meal shared between the two of them. When Will was almost done, he felt an arm wrap around him, just below the navel and lips press a kiss on his jaw. Will smiled, that was the exact same thing he always did to Hannibal every morning.   
"Good morning, sweet" Hannibal said to him.   
That was something he did. Whenever they were alone he called Will nicknames like these. Sweet was a word he often used in the morning. Dear and darling were used at any other time of the day. Will never called Hannibal such nicknames, he had tried once but it had felt weird.   
"It's not as fancy as you make it..." Will began, but Hannibal silenced him. "It's wonderful, Will" he smiled at him and Will turned his head as he returned that smile. They ate breakfast together, halfway through the meal Will slid his left hand across the table and laid it on top of Hannibal's right one. They exchanged another smile but said nothing until they had finished. "It tasted very good, Will" Hannibal complimented. "I just wanted to do something nice for you" Will explained. He didn't really know why he did that, there was no need for an explanation. "I know, and I thank you for that". Another smile shared and Hannibal tightened his grip on Will's hand. They communicated a lot through simple gestures such as these. Hand holding, eye contact and smiling.


	2. Will's Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will's got a nightmare and Hannibal helps him.

Will very often got nightmares, even with Hannibal lying beside him, protecting him.   
Once, Hannibal woke up to find Will's body shaking and sweating beside him, his breathing sounded as if he were being drowned. "Will?" Hannibal said as he shook his boyfriend's shoulders. "Will" Hannibal sat up on his knees and kept shaking Will and calling his name, getting more and more worried with every second, until Will woke up. He lay on his elbows and looked around him and then at Hannibal, confusion and fear covering his face. "You had a nightmare" Hannibal said, hand cupping Will's jawline as his thumb stroked his cheekbone.   
Will looked down on himself and the bed and saw it both covered in his sweat. "I'm so sorry" he said as he got out of bed and turned on the lights. "Don't be, I'll change the sheets, you need to change your pajamas". Hannibal removed the sheets and put new ones on, then he took the sweaty ones and put them in the washing machine. When he returned to the bedroom Will was not there, his pajamas however lay in a heap on the floor. He took them up and went to the laundry room and put them on the floor in front of the washing machine, he would wash them in the morning.   
Hannibal found Will in the bathroom, wearing a dry pair of pajamas, leaning on the sink, the water was running. He occasionally took a sip or splattered his face with the cold water. "What did you dream about?" Hannibal asked Will as he stood in the doorway. "You... You were drowning me with your own blood. You were bleeding, it was like a red waterfall falling from your neck and I couldn't stop it" Will looked up and at Hannibal's reflection in the mirror. "I put my hands on your neck to try to stop the blood from leaving your body, but it went all over me. And... you held me down, saying this is what must happen if we are to be together". Will looked down again, splattered his face once more and then stopped the water running.  
Hannibal walked towards Will, and wrapped both his arms around him, kissed the nape of his neck and rested his head on Will's right shoulder blade,   
"Why does it still happen to me?" Will asked as he raised his hands and lay them on top of Hannibal's. "Difficult to say" Hannibal raised his head and he and Will looked into each other's eyes through the mirror. "Come, let's go back to bed" Hannibal suggested. "Yeah" Will nodded and they went back to the bedroom.  
Hannibal held Will close to him as they lay in bed together. "Hannibal?" Will asked after a few minutes. "What is it, darling?" Hannibal removed a lock of hair from Will's face. "Can you sing for me?" "What would you want me to sing?" "Anything, I don't care". Hannibal thought for a while what song he could sing for his dear Will.  
He had no idea why, but for some reason this was the song that popped into Hannibal's head at this very moment.

There was a boy  
A very strange enchanted boy  
They say he wandered very far, very far  
Over land and sea  
A little shy and sad of eye  
But very wise was he.

He looked at Will and saw him relaxing, eyes closed.

And then one day,  
a magic day he passed my way.  
And while we spoke of many things.  
fools and kings.  
This he said to me.  
The greatest thing you'll ever learn,  
is just to love and be loved in return.

He could feel Will was already asleep in his arms, but he finished the song nontheless, mostly for himself. As he watched Will sleep peacefully.

The greatest thing you'll ever learn,  
is just to love and be loved in return.


	3. Stand by Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is a bit more angstier than the other two ones, also a bit longer. But, anyway, so Will and Hannibal have a fight and Will storms out, while walking outside he loses time.

'When the night has come and the land is dark, and the moon is the only light we'll see'

 

Hannibal ran his fingers through his hair again, making it even more of a mess than it already was. It had been six hours and Will wasn't back yet. It was now dark and Hannibal was worried of so many things. He was worried if something had happened to Will, he was worried if Will was even going to come back and he was worried if Will would come back just to get his things and leave or tell Hannibal to.

They'd had a fight and Will had stormed out. It had happened before, they had a fight and one of them would walk out the door, but they always came back and neither had ever been gone so long after a fight. Hannibal wanted to go look for Will but also wanted to be home when he came back, if he came back, a dark voice in Hannibal's head told him. He tried to ignore it, but it was difficult.

 

*FLASHBACK*

 

“Will, no please, don't go” Hannibal pleaded and reached out for Will, tears in his eyes, but Will moved away from Hannibal's touch and told him “Just leave me alone, okay?” and then he was gone, slamming the door behind him. That's when the tears started falling and Hannibal sat down with his head in his hands.

 

*END OF FLASHBACK*

 

Hannibal looked out the window and watched as the wind hit the trees and the rain slammed on the window. Then he walked towards the front door, putting on his coat and shoes. He had waited long enough, he needed to find Will. He turned off the lights and grabbed the keys.

When he opened the door, the keys slipped from his fingers and fell onto the floor.

 

'No, I won't be afraid. No, I won't be afraid. Just as long as you stand. Stand by me'

 

*SIX HOURS AGO*

 

Will needed to walk, his anger was still too fresh. He wasn't really paying any attention to where he was going but he followed the road. It was a little bit cold out and the sun had begun to drop in the sky but he didn't care. As he walked he felt the tears burn at his eyes. This was probably the biggest fight they've ever had and it hurt, it always hurt. They didn't fight often but when they did, it got pretty intense and someone always stormed out, usually Will, he dealt better with anger alone.

Will felt the tears fall down his cheeks as he tried to remember what just happened a little while ago. But, he didn't. No matter how hard he tried, it was like he had zoned out. He just remembered Hannibal shouting something at him and he remembered shouting back.

It was something to do with Jack, wasn't it? Yeah, it must have been. Hannibal had been pretty upset with Jack recently and that he was making Will work as much as he did. Will didn't mind the work, it was tiring yes, in many ways, but he knew he was helping a lot of people. However, Hannibal was concerned Will was overexerting himself, but Will needed to do this.

As Will thought of these things he realized, that had been exactly what they had been fighting about. It was what their fights were usually about.

Will sat down on a fallen tree at the side of the road as he kept thinking. Yes, the amount of work Will had to do wasn't that good for him but it kept him distracted from so many things.

He felt a drop on his forehead and looked up at the gray clouds. Another drop fell on his forehead and another. He wondered if he should head home but decided against it, he needed some more time alone. Will stood up and walked further into the forest, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he savored the smell of the trees.

 

'Stand by me. Oh, stand by me. If you're in trouble. Won't you stand, stand, stand'

 

*FIVE AND A HALF HOURS LATER*

 

Will found himself lying on the ground, no shoes or socks on, his clothes were soaking and water dripping from his hair. It was dark and the rain was pouring down and Will trembled.

He was lying by the lake, feet and hands covered in mud and... blood? Was that blood? Also his knuckles hurt, like he had been punching something. Will began searching for his phone in his pocket, but remembered he had left it at home. He regretted that now, he wanted to call Hannibal, tell him where he was and apologize.

Slowly, Will stood up. It was incredibly difficult, he wasn't sure if it was pain he felt all over his body or if he was just numb from the cold. When he was fully standing he felt, suddenly, very nauseous and bent forward as he vomited. "What's happening?" he asked himself as he stood upright again. He felt his teeth clattering together and tried to see at which part of the lake was. After looking around he found out he was on the same side as their house was which meant he wasn't far from home, thank god.

He started walking back, not bothering to find his shoes. He could always get new ones, he needed to go home, to Hannibal. After walking for what felt like an eternity but couldn't have been more than twenty minutes, he saw the front of their house. The lights were on, Will noticed, which meant Hannibal must be home.

Will walked faster towards the door. When he was about to open the door he got a massive headache and hesitated. The door opened and Will fell straight into Hannibal's arms.

 

'If the sky that we look upon. Should tumble and fall. All the mountains. Should crumble into the sea'

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Hannibal caught the other man as he fell forward "My dear Will" he whispered. “Hannibal” Will's voice shook. Hannibal helped Will fully inside and closed the doors. “You need a bath” Hannibal stated and half carried Will to the bathroom. 

Hannibal made Will sit on the toilet as he let the water run. That's when he noticed the mud on Will's hands and feet, also noticed Will wasn't wearing anything on his feet. “What happened, Will?” Hannibal asked as he kneeled in front of his boyfriend. “I lost time again” Will replied, voice slightly shaky since he was still cold. Hannibal moved forward and rubbed Will's back, trying to give some warmth to the other man. “I was walking in the forest and suddenly I was lying on the ground by the lake and I… I don't know what happened, I don't know what I did, I just… I'm just so scared” Will laid his head on Hannibal's shoulder. “It's going to be alright, Will. You are safe here, with me, okay?” Hannibal moved so he could look Will directly in his eyes. “I'm here, Will. I'll protect you, always”. 

Will just nodded and moved closer and, clumsily, kissed Hannibal lightly on the lips.

"Now" Hannibal stopped the water running and got a towel from the cupboard under the sink "Let's first clean the mud off, okay?" Will nodded and Hannibal dipped part of the towel in the water and lightly rubbed it across Will's hands, getting all the dirt off.  
He noticed the knuckles were red, very red. Part of the skin there was gone. He brought Will's hands up to his lips and kissed them, then he scrubbed the mud off Will's feet.

"I'm gonna get you some pajamas to put on after the bath, you think you can get in by yourself?" "Yeah... can you just... help with the buttons because..." Will didn't finish his sentence, instead just held up his mostly numb fingers. "Of course" Hannibal helped Will out of the jacket and unbuttoned his shirt. Before standing up again, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss on Will's chest, where his heart was. He both heard and felt Will sigh and looked up to find the man looking down at him with a small smile. Hannibal smiled back and stood up. He helped Will back up again but stayed close for a second to make sure the other man wouldn't fall again.  
"I'm gonna go get you the pajamas now, think you will be okay?" "Yeah" Will nodded and Hannibal left the bathroom.

He first went to take off his shoes and coat, picked up the keys and put them back on the table.  
As he was picking the pajamas out of the wardrobe, he felt a tear roll down his face. He was happy and relieved Will was back, but he wondered what had happened out there, when Will had been there alone. Why had he come back covered all in mud? Why were his knuckles red and bloody?

 

'I won't cry, I won't cry. No, I won't shed a tear. Just as long as you stand. Stand by me'

 

Hannibal put these thoughts away as he walked back to the bathroom, wiping away his tear.  
Will was lying in the bath on the side with his eyes closed, the same way he did when he was asleep, except both his hands and feet were resting on top of the edge. But his head was above the water so Hannibal wasn't worrying. He still nudged Will's shoulder to make sure he didn't fall asleep.

Hannibal put the dry clothes on top of the toilet, got a dry towel as well, which he put on top. He gathered Will's soaked clothes and hung them up in the laundry room.

When he returned to the bathroom he noticed Will was already dozing off. He nudged him again. "I think it is time for you to get up, you can wash later" Will nodded and Hannibal helped him out of the tub and handed him the towel. As Will dried himself, Hannibal went to the kitchen and made him some hot chocolate. When the water was warming, he heard footsteps behind him and turned around to see Will walking slowly towards the kitchen. "Why don't you go to bed, I'll bring this to you" Hannibal said and motioned towards the cup. But Will shook his head "No, I want to stay close to you" he said and closed the distance between them by wrapping his arms around Hannibal who did the same to Will. He felt the other man sigh, relaxed, and Hannibal turned his head to kiss Will on the cheek.

"I'm sorry for what I said before" Hannibal began, forgetting that he was supposed to be making Will hot chocolate. "I know how you feel about this job, but I worry and I..." "No, you were right" Will said and took a step back. "I'm sorry for not listening to you. I have overexerted myself and I'm going to take a break for a while. I'll call Jack tomorrow and tell him that. He's just going to have to find someone else for a while". Hannibal moved a lock of hair from Will's face and smiled. "I'm glad you are" he said and then his boyfriend yawned, a big and long yawn. "Go to bed, Will. I'll be there soon" "Okay" Will gave in and turned and walked to their bedroom.

 

'Here comes trouble, won't you stand by me. Oh stand by me. Darling stand, stand by me. Stand, stand, stand'

 

Hannibal finished making the warm drink and brought it to Will who was sitting upright in bed with Winston lying with his head in Will's lap as said man stroked him. As Hannibal changed into pajamas himself he could feel Will looking at him. "What's the matter?" He asked once he had changed. "You didn't go look for me?" Will asked and put the cup on the nightstand. "I almost did. I thought often about it but didn't want to be away in case you came back. But, after waiting for so long I had to do something and I was about to go look for you when you were right in front of the door". "What do you mean in case I came back?" Will sat up straighter. Hannibal walked towards the bed on Will's side and looked at him. "I wasn't sure you would come back this time" "What do you mean?" Will repeated and looked up at Hannibal confused. "I said some things I shouldn't have. I hurt you, I know, I am sorry for that" Hannibal felt the tears form in his eyes. "I never meant that and… after waiting for you to come back home for so long, I had begun to think maybe you had left, permanently". A tear fell from his eye and on Will's hand. 

“Hannibal” he heard the other man whisper and looked up at him. Will reached out for Hannibal's hands and held them in his own and kissed them, like Hannibal had kissed his before. Hannibal felt Will's hands shaking. "Lie down with me" Will whispered and let go of Hannibal's hands. 

Winston must have understood Will, because right after he said those words, Winston jumped off the bed and Hannibal lay down beside Will, who began stroking through his hair, hand still shaking.  
"I could never leave you" Will whispered and Hannibal raised his eyes to look at Will when he heard a little sob. Will had tears streaming down his face. Hannibal changed position so he was resting on his elbow, looking down at Will, who was looking at anything except Hannibal. Now he was the one stroking the other man's hair. "I love you too much" Will continued. "It's hard… sometimes… when you are the one who walks out… and you take the car…" Will was talking through his sobs and Hannibal felt tears threatening to escape again. "I sometimes wonder… I always wonder… if you've had enough… and you never wanna see me again".

Will was sobbing loudly as Hannibal wrapped his arm around him, holding him close with Will's head on his chest. The tears now flowed freely from both of them.  
"Oh, Will" Hannibal whispered and kissed the top of Will's curls. "I never knew you thought that" Hannibal began rocking back and forth, trying to calm them both down. "I would never leave you, Will. You know that. You mean much more to me than anything else in my life. I cannot afford to lose you. If I do, it would be the death of me".

 

'Here comes trouble, won't you stand by me. Oh won't you stand by me. Oh stand, stand by me stand by me'

 

After a while both of them had calmed down. "Don't ever leave me" Will whispered when Hannibal had thought he was asleep. He moved to look Will better in the eyes "I will never" he said. "I promise you. I will stay with you, forever". Will smiled and Hannibal leaned forward and kissed him softly. He was about to back away when he felt Will's hand on his waist, holding him still. Hannibal smiled and closed his eyes as he deepened the kiss. 

A few moments later Will broke away from the kiss “I love you, Hannibal” he whispered. Hannibal felt the other man's breath on his lips when he said it. “And I love you, Will. I always will” He smiled. 

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Will watched Hannibal as he slept. It was in moments like these that Will felt most at ease. With Hannibal lying beside him, completely vulnerable. The fact that he felt so calm when with Will, while others were always on edge when he was around, made him feel so protected and loved, but still more than that. It was the greatest feeling in the world and Will had no name for it, but whatever it was, he wished it would last forever. 

'When the night has come, and the land is dark. Stand by me. Stand. Stand'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song I use in this fic is Stand By Me, the Mona version that was in the trailer for season two of Hannibal.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading this, I really hope you enjoyed it.


	4. It's You, Technically

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hannibal gets an unexpected visit from Will that's ends even more unexpectedly.

It was getting dark and Hannibal was retiring for the day. He was heading towards the kitchen to prepare dinner when the doorbell rang. He checked the clock to be sure he wasn't expecting any more patients. It was pouring outside and he wondered who would be out in this weather.  
“Will?” The other man stood shaking at the other side of the door. “Come in” Hannibal moved out of the way so Will could walk in. 

“So, what brings you to me?” Hannibal asked when they entered his office. He was surprised to see him, and a little worried. Will not so often visited him outside of sessions, but when he did, something was usually wrong. “I just needed to talk to you about something” Will said as he paced around. “Why don't you sit down? I'll take your coat” Hannibal offered. “No, I'm fine. I won't be long, I think”. Something was definitely wrong, Hannibal could see it in the way Will was avoiding looking at him. “Will, what's the matter?” Hannibal asked as he leaned on his desk.

“It's you, technically” Will said and looked at him. “Me?” Hannibal was surprised, he had no idea what he could have done. “Technically, I said technically” Will sounded really upset. “And what I have I done to upset you?” “You haven't done anything to upset me but I just” Will ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “Will, you know you can tell me everything” Hannibal told him. “I know, I know. I'm just scared of telling you this particular thing” “Well, take your time then”. 

Will stopped pacing and looked Hannibal directly in the eye. Hannibal would be lying if he said he didn't feel his heart race a little in that moment. 

“I can't get you out of my head. It's like you are stuck there and no matter how hard I try I can't stop thinking about you” Will whispered. Hannibal had no idea how to react to this sudden confession. He wasn't sure, did Will mean he had feelings for Hannibal, in the same way Hannibal had feelings for Will? 

“Does that mean you…?” “I have feelings for you, Hannibal. Romantic feelings, I… I think about you in ways I shouldn't, I…” Will drifted off but Hannibal got curious “In what ways do you think about me?” Will looked back at Hannibal, then down again. “I wonder what it's like kissing you. I want to get to know you better, I want to spend time with you, just you and me and not only at crime scenes or during therapy sessions, I want to be able to hang out with you and have dinner and stuff”. 

Will didn't see the smile spreading across the other man's face, that's exactly what Hannibal wanted as well. “What if I told you, we could do all those things?” Hannibal said as he stood up and walked closer to Will. “What? Do you…?” Will asked and looked up. “I have feelings for you as well, have done for some time now. And I also want to spend more time with you”. Will sighed, relieved, and smiled. 

Hannibal, hesitantly, moved closer to Will and touched the other mans' cheek. Cupping it with his palm. He leaned in closer, when his lips were just hovering above Will's he stopped and looked him in the eye, Will nodded and together they moved forward and their lips met. 

It was a rather desperate kiss, they were clinging to each other like this was their first and last one. Will's hands were underneath Hannibal's jacket, Hannibal was burying his fingers in Will's curls, he could barely breathe, he felt like his heart was slamming at his ribcage. 

Suddenly Will pulled back from the kiss and Hannibal almost followed. He didn't want to stop kissing Will. “I'm sorry. I couldn't breathe” Will explained, quite out of breath. “Me neither” Hannibal admitted. Their eyes were closed and foreheads resting against each others. Then Will made their lips meet again in another kiss, this one was slow and also shorter than the other had been. 

When they broke away from it, still a little out of breath, they stood there awkwardly, neither knowing what to say. 

“I think, maybe, I should go” Will said. But, Hannibal didn't want him to go, and plus it was still pouring outside. “I was just about to have dinner when you arrived, maybe you'd like to join me?” Hannibal asked him and was relieved when Will smiled at him. “I would very much like that, yes. Thank you” Hannibal smiled and nodded. “I haven't started making it, though, so I hope you don't mind waiting” “Not at all, maybe I can help with something” Will suggested as they headed to the kitchen. “That would be lovely” Hannibal told him smiling. “What are we having?” Will asked. “Never ask, spoils a surprise” Hannibal grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks and hugs to everyone who read this fic, I hope you liked it :)


	5. Should I Tell Him?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will asks for an extra session with Hannibal, Hannibal has no idea what's going on
> 
> (I suck at summaries I know)

“So, I'll see you again next week, goodbye Franklin” Hannibal told his last patient of the day “Goodbye, Dr. Lecter”. When Hannibal held the door open for him he saw Will was sitting there, waiting. “Hello, Will” Hannibal greeted him with a smile. “I wasn't expecting you here tonight” “Yeah, I'm actually here to see my psychiatrist, Dr. Lecter, if I may” Will said as he stood up. That was a surprise, Will had never asked for an extra session. Their usual ones had actually become less frequent after they started their relationship. “Of course. My working hours are over but I can always make exceptions for you” Will smiled and entered the office. 

“So, what is it you would like to discuss?” Hannibal asked once they had sat down. “I want to talk about my relationship with Hannibal” Hannibal nodded, he was curious to know why Will had wanted to talk about them like this. “And are there certain aspects of this relationship you want to discuss?” “Not, really, just the relationship overall” Will said a small smile. Suddenly Hannibal got worried “Is something wrong, are you having any doubts or?” Hannibal asked, hoping he sounded calm when he was in reality worried Will was having second thoughts about them or something worse. “No, this relationship is going really well, as a matter of fact” Will smiled again and Hannibal relaxed a little. “I haven't been in many relationships in my life, they have been very few actually, and all of them always ended very soon, but” Will took a deep breath. “This one is definitely working, I think, I hope. I uhm…” Will was looking at the floor as he spoke.

Suddenly he stopped, like he wasn't sure if he should say whatever it was he was going to say next. Hannibal was trying to hide the fact that he was on edge waiting for Will to continue. 

“Yeah, I really want this relationship to work, I just… there is this one thing I have been wanting to tell him for a while but I'm not sure if it's the right time” “And what is it you want to tell him?” Hannibal asked, his heart in his throat. Will looked over at him and smiled. “I've been wondering if I should tell Hannibal that I love him”. 

Hannibal sat there frozen in his chair, his jaw hanging open. Will loved him, Will loved him, Will loved him. Hannibal repeated this a few times in his head. He, himself, had fallen pretty soon in love with Will, but had never been sure when he should tell him. 

All of a sudden, Will's face fell, Hannibal's silence had made Will think he didn't return his feelings, Hannibal realized. 

“I'll just show myself out, it's okay” Will said and stood up, avoiding looking at Hannibal. “Wait” Hannibal quickly stood up and Will stopped. “I think you should” Hannibal told Will, who looked slightly confused. “I think you should tell him you love him, because…” Hannibal was about to say 'because he loves you ' but instead decided to just say it. “Because I love you” he said and the smile on Will's face was unforgettable. “I love you” Will told him, laughing. “I love you, I love you” he said as he ran the two steps it took him to get to Hannibal and jumped into his arms. 

They laughed while they hugged each other. “I love you” Hannibal whispered in Will's ear who turned his head and kissed Hannibal. 

 

Later that night after they had eaten dinner, when they were sat on the couch, each with a glass of red wine, and Will was resting his head on Hannibal's collar bone, Hannibal thought to himself: 'This, this is where I want to be, always'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this, I really appreciate it :)


	6. I Would Remember This Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On their usual walk, Hannibal is unusually quiet and distant, Will is worried something is wrong.

Hannibal was unusually quiet, and Will wondered whether something was bothering him. They were out on a walk with the dogs, it was rather late. Since both of them worked late rather often they took the dogs on a walk after dinner. On these walks, Hannibal usually asked Will a lot about his day and told him about what happened during his. They could talk for hours about nothing in particular, but this day, Hannibal was awfully quiet and only replied to whatever Will said. And it wasn't just that he was quiet, Hannibal also felt distant, even though he was standing right beside Will.

Will wanted to ask what was bothering Hannibal, but was afraid of the answer. He decided to wait until they got back home to ask, but he hoped Hannibal would tell him before that. 

After a few moments Will was starting to feel cold and Hannibal hadn't spoken a word in a while. He was seriously worried, “Hey, it's getting pretty late, maybe we should start head back” Will suggested and Hannibal looked at him, thoughtful. 

“Will, I would like to tell you something” Hannibal spoke for the first time in a while. 'Here it comes' Will thought to himself, he knew Hannibal was about to tell him bad news. “Okay?” He looked at the other man, forcing a small smile on his lips. “I love you, you know that” Hannibal walked closer to Will. Oh, god, he was about to break up with Will, he was sure of it, and Will had thought their relationship was going so well. “Of course I do” was all he said. “But my feelings go deeper than that” 'Wait, what?' “What do you mean?” Maybe Hannibal wasn't going to break up with him. The other man took Will's hands in his and began explaining. 

“When we first met, I knew I felt something for you, something I hadn't felt in a long time. And as time went on these feelings grew. At first I tried to ignore them, I kept telling myself it wasn't right, that I couldn't feel this way for you. But, when you came to me that night and confessed your feelings for me I had hope, I hoped that we could be together and I didn't have to hide my feelings from you and soon afterwards I fell in love with you” Hannibal looked Will in the eyes and took a deep breath. “We have build a life together and I am the happiest I have ever been”. 

“Hannibal, why are you telling me all this?” Will was scared. Even though nothing Hannibal had said now was bad, Will was afraid he was going to drop the bomb soon.

“I want you to know this before I ask you” “Ask me what?” Hannibal went down on one knee and Will realized what was going on. His heart pounded so loudly in his chest he could hear it in his ears. “I have been thinking about this, about us, and I know I want to be with you forever, Will. So, I just want to ask…” “Yes?” Will accidentally blurted out as he felt tears form in his eyes, Hannibal looked questioningly at him “Ask” Will told him. 

Hannibal reached in his pocket and took out a small black box. He opened it to reveal a silver ring with a thorn like pattern and three tiny emeralds. “Will you marry me, Will?” 

Suddenly Will started crying. He had no idea why, but all of a sudden he was standing there, sobbing in his hands. He agreed with Hannibal, he too was the happiest he had ever been. This was so far away from what Will thought was going to happen and it was the greatest surprise he had ever had. But, since Will was covering his mouth with his hands Hannibal didn't see the smile and, quickly, he closed the box and got up again. He looked worried as he put his hands on Will's arms in comfort. “Will, I'm sorry” he began but Will stopped him. “No… it's not… I just” Will moved his hands away from his face and smiled at Hannibal, who realized Will was crying from happiness and smiled back. 

Will cleared his throat and wiped the tears away before resting his hands on Hannibal's shoulders. “I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me” he apologized “I thought that you were about to say something else, something bad, but…” Will shrugged, he didn't know how to explain this. “It's alright, and you don't have to answer now if you don't…” “Yes” Will almost shouted to the other man's surprise. “I do, Hannibal. I will marry you”. Will watched Hannibal's face light up and almost jumped on him, wrapping his arms around Hannibal's shoulders and burying his face in his neck. Hannibal, still holding the box, had his own arms wrapped around Will's torso as tight as he could hold. “Thank you” he whispered so quietly Will was sure he wasn't meant to hear it.

Will's heart was pounding so loudly in his chest he was sure Hannibal could feel it. After a moment Will took a small step back and looked at the other man who now was the one with tears in his eyes. Will couldn't help but laugh a little at how emotional both of them could be sometimes, but to be honest, if there was a moment to be emotional, it was this moment. Will moved his hands to the back of Hannibal's neck and pulled him towards him and kissed his lips. As Hannibal returned the kiss, Will felt the box digging into his back. 

The moment was soon over as one of their dogs began sniffing that box. Hannibal chuckled and took a step back. He took out the ring and asked “May I?” Will nodded and lifted his hand and Hannibal slid the ring onto Will's finger, it fit perfectly. Then, Hannibal raised Will's hand up and pressed it against his lips. “I love you so much” Will told him “And I love you” Hannibal smiled at him. 

He was about to let go of Will's hand when Will tightened his grip. And for a while they just stood there. Then Hannibal used his other hand to lightly stroke a lock of hair from Will's forehead and with a smile he said “If I saw you every day, forever, Will, I would remember this time” “So would I” Will smiled back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These past three chapters are connected but don't have to be. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, it means a lot to me and I hope you liked this :)


	7. Hannibal's Nightmare (Mischa)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This time, it's Hannibal who has a nightmare, and Will takes care of him

He sat upright in bed, he couldn't sleep, no matter what he tried. Will and Hannibal had stayed up late walking with the dogs and it surprised Will that that hadn't tired him at all. He tried reading but the book was too exciting to make him want to go to sleep. Hannibal had fallen asleep hours ago, Will hoped he would soon as well.

Will felt movement on the bed and looked down at Hannibal sleeping beside him. He looked different than he usually did when asleep, his brows furrowed like he was focused on something. Hannibal moved around again and a pained groan escaped his lips “No” it sounded like he was saying. 

“Hannibal?” Will lightly shook his shoulder, trying to wake him up. “No, no” Hannibal kept muttering, twisting around. “Hannibal!” Will shouted and the other man shot up instantly. Will watched as his partner closed his eyes and took a deep breath, he saw a tear roll down Hannibal's cheek. “Hey?” he whispered and leaned closer towards the other man “You alright?” Hannibal hesitated but then shook his head. “Nightmare?” Will asked and Hannibal nodded and opened his eyes, not looking at Will. “What was it about?” “Mischa” he whispered. “Oh” was all Will said. 

He knew to be careful when talking to Hannibal about his sister. He rarely spoke of her, but Will knew he had cared deeply for her, and still did. He also knew Hannibal blamed himself for her death. “Do you want to talk about it?” Will asked cautiously. That's when Hannibal first looked at Will, and nodded. 

“I was standing in the garden of our old home, everything just the way it used to be, and she's there” Hannibal paused and looked away from Will who was about to tell him he didn't have to talk about this if he didn't want to when Hannibal spoke again. “She looked so angry, furious. I never saw her like that when she was alive” Another tear fell. “She simply pointed her finger at me and yelled “Monstras!”. She repeated that until her face turned pale and she dissolved into black smoke. Then she screamed, no words, just sound. It was deafening”. 

Hannibal kept staring down as the tears flowed. Will put his hand on the other man's shoulder to comfort him but Hannibal moved away from the touch. “I'm sorry you have to see me this way” Hannibal whispered to Will's surprise. Why was he sorry? He was hurt, that was understandable. “You have nothing to apologize for, Hannibal” Will tried again, and laid his hand on Hannibal's cheek and this time the other man didn't move away. “You are human, sometimes things get bad, it happens to everybody” Hannibal closed his eyes and nodded “I simply don't want to worry you” “You worry enough about me, it's only fair I get to worry about you sometimes” Will smiled softly at Hannibal who smiled back. “Do you often dream about her?” Will asked, curious. “No” Hannibal shook his head “But, my nightmares are often about her”. 

“Hannibal, do you often get nightmares?” Will had never really thought about it, he was used to having nightmares but the thought of Hannibal having them was new. Hannibal hesitated before answering, that was never a good sign. “Of course they happen to me like everyone else from time to time…” “How often a month?” silence hung in the air before Hannibal looked at Will and said “Around two to three times” “That often?” Will whispered, surprised. That meant he had nightmares around every two weeks. That was almost as often as Will himself had them. “And you've had them for how many years?” “Ever since I was a teenager” “Why haven't I been aware of them?” “You are always fast asleep when they occur, and when I wake up you look so peaceful I don't have the heart to wake you up” “Hannibal” Will moved closer to the man sitting beside him and put his arms around him. “I would like to ask you to do something for me” Hannibal turned his head so he was looking at Will “Of course” he said and put his hand on Will's “anything”. “I want you to wake me up every time you have a nightmare, no matter how fast asleep I am, no matter if I'm sick or what. I want to know when something's bothering you and I want to help you”. Hannibal looked down and sighed “Fine, I will” he nodded and looked back at Will and smiled. Will smiled back, he was happy Hannibal agreed to this, he just hoped he would stick to it. Hannibal had the habit of constantly taking care of Will but never allowing it to be the other way around.   
“You have to promise me” Will pushed and Hannibal chuckled “I promise”. 

“Have you ever talked to Dr. Du Maurier about this?” Will asked, curious. Dr. Du Maurier was Hannibal's psychiatrist and as far as Will knew, Hannibal told her everything. “We have spoken about this during various session” “That's good” Will said and Hannibal nodded, looking serious, Will could see his mind was still in the dream. “I'm sure Mischa would never have blamed you for what happened” Suddenly Hannibal's eyes filled with tears and Will wrapped his arms tighter around him. He felt the man shake in his arms as he cried. “She loved you very much, I'm sure of it. You took care of her, protected her. I can only imagine she must have loved you as much as you love her” Hannibal was gripping at Will's arms when he whispered “I couldn't protect her, not in the end, I… I failed her”. “No, you didn't” Will told him “You did all you could, no one can ask for more than that”. 

Neither spoke for a while, Hannibal had turned to the side so Will was embracing him, his cheek resting on Hannibal's head, he felt tears through his shirt but didn't care. After a while, Hannibal had stopped crying but they stayed in the same position, Will rubbing his hand up and down Hannibal's back. Will had started to wonder if Hannibal had fallen asleep when he felt his hand remove his own from Hannibal's back and said man brought Will's hand to his face and kissed it. “Thank you” he whispered as he entwined their fingers. “Of course” Will smiled “No, I mean” Hannibal spoke and sat back up, looking Will sincerely in the eye. Will noticed Hannibal's were still red and he had tear stains on his cheek. “Thank you for being with me, for being in my life, Will. I am eternally grateful for everything you have done for me” Will wasn't entirely sure what to say, he felt like there hadn't been much he had done for Hannibal. 

Like he had read Will's mind, Hannibal spoke again “You've brought me so much happiness” he smiled “I feel safe with you, I feel like this is where I'm meant to be”. Will couldn't hide his surprise. Hannibal was praising him all the time, but he had never said anything like that. “So do I” was all he managed to say. 

Then Hannibal yawned. “Let's go to sleep” Will suggested and Hannibal nodded. They lay down but neither closed their eyes. “Why weren't you asleep?” Hannibal asked. “I just wasn't tired” “Will, have you gotten any sleep tonight?” Hannibal rested on his elbow, looking down at Will who pulled him back down “Stop worrying about me, I'm fine” “Okay, if you say so” Hannibal smiled at him. “I am” Will smiled back. 

A few moments later Hannibal was asleep again, but sleep was still away from Will. He didn't care, really. He wanted to be awake in case something else happened while Hannibal slept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so very much for reading, I really hope you enjoyed it :)
> 
> Translation: Monstras: Monster, but I did find another translation as well which was pabaisa, but I'm not sure which one is more correct so if anyone speaks Lithuanian, I would very much appreciate it if anyone can tell me which translation is more correct

**Author's Note:**

> I know I'm kind of taking the moral of Hannibal's character away, but this was just an idea I got and I kind of like it how it turned out. Thank you for reading this, hope you liked it :)
> 
> Also want to add, I have loved writing about these two like this and I'm very open towards any suggestions if you have any.


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